Renowned stand-up comedian OB Amponsah is warning about the potential collapse of the Ghanaian comedy industry due to inadequate funding and a lack of interest from stakeholders.
OB Amponsah in a Facebook post sighted by GhanaWeb, on Saturday, expressed this concern on the back of his inability to secure a visa for an event in South Africa. His post contained some of the challenges bedeviling the industry and the urgent need to find solutions to such banes.
Without mincing words, the popular comedian stated that “the standup comedy industry in Ghana is a struggling one”, explaining that it is “severely lacking funding even with exceptional talents that can sell anywhere.”
“The standup comedy industry is standing on wobbly legs. Don’t be surprised when it comes crumbling down,” he mentioned.
Despite the numerous challenges, the comedy sector, according to OB Amponsah, has managed to survive with some players putting in efforts to ensure the industry thrives. These included the establishment and registration of an association called GH Comedians Network.
“We have tried our best to establish a running comedy club every Thursdays at 2927 pub. We have tried tertiary school tours (ValleyView University and HTU),” he said.
“Almost every one of these young comedians have their individual comedy specials. Our efforts spill over to other countries and so we are invited to perform at shows in Rwanda, Zambia, Botswana, South Africa, Swaziland, Nigeria. Bro, we even have a full 20-minute feature on CNN about comedy in Ghana. Look at how many comedy shows have happened from January to September,” OB Amponsah added.
He, however, feared that the narrative would change soon if the industry does not get the needed assistance.
He said: “The beautiful picture painted above, will collapse in no time mainly because of severe lack in funding and lack of stakeholders’ interest. Me and Lekzy can hardly get sponsorship for upcoming shows even after doing a number of shows at the National Theater.
“Because we do not seem to have the skit attracting or bortoss attracting numbers on our socials, we lose out on brand sponsorship and ambassadorial deals, but you all know we are working.”
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OB Amponsah